Isikhathi asinaso isici. Alinaso isikhathi esidlule, samanje noma esizayo. Kungani sinamathisela noma yikuphi ukunyakaza, okwenzekayo noma umcimbi nesikhathi? Ingabe isikhathi sikhona ngempela noma wukudalwa kwabantu nokuhlanganisa ingqondo yabo?
Ingabe isikhathi sinesiqalo noma isiphetho? Uma inesiqalo, bekuyini noma kanjani futhi uma inesiphetho kanjani, kungani futhi nini? Siyini isikhathi sangaphambi nangemva kokuthunyelwe? Lokhu esikubiza ngokuthi isikhathi, akukhona yini ekuhambeni komhlaba nelanga? Lokho esikubiza ngokuthi imini nobusuku, akuwona yini umphumela wokujikeleza komhlaba? Sizibiza ngokuthini izinkathi zonyaka, akuzona yini ukunyakaza kwelanga? Ingabe amawashi ethu namawashi abala ukunyakaza nokujikeleza komhlaba nelanga? Asiphambanisi yini ukunyakaza kwezinkanyezi nesikhathi? Futhi ingabe isikhathi simane siyisikhawu phakathi kwezenzakalo ezimbili noma izehlakalo? Ingabe isikhathi siyisakhiwo esiyisisekelo sendawo yonke noma kukhona okungaphezu kwalokho okukuwo? Lokho esikubiza ngokuthi ukusa, emini, kusihlwa noma ebusuku, noma nganoma yisiphi isikhathi, ingabe empeleni akuzona izingxenye zemini nobusuku? Ingabe konke lokhu akuyona indaba yokushona nokuphuma kwelanga? Futhi kulawo mazwe lapho izinyanga eziyisithupha ziyizinsuku nezinyanga eziyisithupha kuwubusuku noma iyiphi enye ingxenye yezinsuku nobusuku, kuyini konke lokho? Ingabe konke lokhu akuyona indaba yokunyakaza nokuzungeza?
Ukwakheka kwezinyanga, izinsuku nonyaka kuwukubonakaliswa kwabantu ukulungisa izinsuku, ubusuku, izinkathi zonyaka kanye nesimo sezulu. Usuku luyeza futhi kanjalo nobusuku. Ihlobo liyaphinda njengoba kwenza ubusika. Intwasahlobo iyaphenduka njengekwindla. Ingabe ukuphindaphinda kokwenzeka kwemvelo kuyisikhathi?
Eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-6000 edlule, inyanga yayiwumthombo wekhalenda. KwakunguJulius Caesar owaqala ukusebenzisa ikhalenda lelanga eminyakeni engu-45 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu. Kodwa yayinamaphutha njengoba yayijwayele ukuqhubekela phambili imizuzu eyi-11 njalo ngonyaka. Yabe isilungiswa nguPapa Gregory XIII ngo-1582 njengekhalenda likaGregory elisaqhubeka nokusebenza. Ikhalenda lesimanje lase-Iranian kanye namakhalenda kaGregory asekelwe ekulungisweni kweminyaka eyi-leap eyenziwe usosayensi ongumSulumane owaziwayo wezikhathi zenkathi ephakathi, u-Omer al Khayyam. Ingabe ukuhlukaniswa kwezinyanga kube yizinsuku akuhlotshaniswa nokunyakaza kwenyanga?
Yonke impucuko yasendulo inohlelo lwayo lwezinyanga oluhambisana nekhalenda likaGregory. AmaNdiya, amaPheresiya, amaJapane, amaShayina, amaSulumane, njll. anezinguqulo zawo zakudala zezinyanga, eziqala futhi ziphele unyaka kanye nezinkathi zonyaka. IMpumalanga inothile ngokuhlukahluka kwamakhalenda kunaseNtshonalanga.
Lokhu esikubiza ngo-BC kanye no-AD, okusho ngaphambi kukaKristu noma ngemva kukaKristu (u-Anno Domini), kusho ukuthi senze isigameko saba isisekelo futhi empeleni sibala ukunyakaza kwezinkanyezi. Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi awukho unyaka onguziro. I-AD1 ilandela u-1 BC ngokushesha. Ukuhlukaniswa kwamadethi kwenziwa ngo-AD 525 okungazange kujwayeleke kuze kube ngu-800 AD. Iminyaka engu-33 uJesu ayiphilayo ayiyona ingxenye ka-AD noma ye-BC futhi ayiyona ngisho neyesikhathi esiyiziro. Ngokuhlekisayo, indinganiso ye-ISO 8601 imisa u-AD 1 njengonyaka woku-1 kodwa ichaza u-1BC njengonyaka 0 (eziro) futhi hhayi unyaka onguziro.
Buyini ubudlelwano phakathi kwendawo, isikhathi nendawo yonke? Into eyodwa iqinisekile ukuthi izinto ezincane zizungeza ezinkulu ngenxa yamandla adonsela phansi hhayi okuphambene nalokho. Ososayensi be-Big Bang bakholelwa ukuthi izinto, amandla, indawo kanye nesikhathi empeleni kwakhiwe njengomphumela wakho. Ukhona owake wabona noma wezwa isikhathi? Amandla angazwakala okungenani ngumuntu ophilayo. Indaba ingakalwa. Into eyodwa engeke ibonwe, noma ithintwe, izwe, inambithwe noma ithintwe futhi idluliselwe isikhathi.
Ngakho, i-Big Bang ingabhekwa njengomama wesikhathi. Lapho ososayensi behluleka ukuthola noma iyiphi inkomba yesikhathi, basiqamba ngokuthi umphumela weBig Bang. Uma bethi isikhathi siwumphumela weBig Bang, kungani-ke bengasibhaleli umlando kusukela kuBig Bang? Kungani beyiqala ngesigameko esifana no-AD noma BC? Kungani kungu-2015 manje? Kungani ingakaqali esiqeshini se-Big Bang?
Ithuluzi lokuqala elaziwayo lokulinganisa isikhathi kwakuyi-Egypt eyenziwe i-T-square eyahlehlela emuva ku-1500 BC. Empeleni yayisetshenziselwa ukubala isithunzi sedivayisi ngokusekelwe ekukhanyeni kwelanga. Ngakho, ngokuyisisekelo kwakuwukulinganisa ithunzi, hhayi isikhathi. I-Greenwich observatory ayikaze isetshenziswe kusukela ngo-1954 kodwa sisayisebenzisa. Kusukela ngo-1928, umhlaba uqhubekela phambili ku-Universal Time eyamukelwa yi-International Astronomical Union esekelwe ohlelweni lwamazwe ngamazwe olusekelwe ku-telescope.
Yilezo zinto kuphela ezihambayo ezinobunzima. Isikhathi asinaso isisindo. Kanjalo ayinyakazi. Khona-ke kuyini ukuhamba kwesikhathi? Into phakathi kobuningi, isikhathi nokunyakaza indawo. Okuwukuphela kwento engokwenyama isisindo. Isikhala asisona esomzimba futhi asiphatheki. Kanjalo nesikhathi. Icala okufanele silibeke lapha ukuthi empeleni lesi esikubiza ngokuthi isikhathi akusona isikhathi. Ukuze sikhululeke, siqambe into engaphatheki ngokuthi “isikhathi”. Sihlukanise into engekho futhi ecatshangwayo ngemizuzwana, imizuzu, amahora nokunye. Umuntu angayiqamba kanjani into engezwakali nganoma yimuphi umqondo, ngisho nangemizwa yesithupha noma yesikhombisa na? Into engekho ndawo ibizwa ngokuthi yisikhathi. Ngakho, uma umuntu ekholelwa esikhathini, kungani umuntu engakholelwa kuNkulunkulu, ocishe afane nezikhathi?
